PM Oct 4th Isa 21

October 4^th

Isaiah, 21

1: The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. 2: A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease. 3: Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. 4: My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me. 5: Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. 6: For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. 7: And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: 8: And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights: 9: And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. 10: O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you. 11: The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 12: The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come. 13: The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. 14: The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. 15: For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. 16: For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: 17: And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.

Isaiah, 22

1: The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? 2: Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. 3: All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far. 4: Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people. 5: For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains. 6: And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. 7: And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate. 8: And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. 9: Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10: And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. 11: Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. 12: And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 13: And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die. 14: And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 15: Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, 16: What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock? 17: Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. 18: He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house. 19: And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. 20: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22: And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23: And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. 24: And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. 25: In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah, 23

1: The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. 2: Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. 3: And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. 4: Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. 5: As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. 6: Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. 7: Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. 8: Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? 9: The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth. 10: Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength. 11: He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof. 12: And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest. 13: Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin. 14: Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste. 15: And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot. 16: Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. 17: And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. 18: And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

Today we are reading Isaiah chapters 21, 22 & 23. Chapter 21 has three sections, v1-10 is the prophets burden regarding the desert of the sea (Babylon) v11-12 is his burden for Dumah and v13-17 is the burden of Arabia. In the first passage Isaiah sees the Medes and Persians, who are sent by God, besieging Babylon. And he sees the feasting of Babylon and of the destruction of the city while they feasted. This story is told in the book of Daniel and it is the famous incident of the writing on the wall. The invasion will be like a tornado passing through the land. Babylon falls to the invaders and all the abominable idols are destroyed. Then in v11 he speaks about Dumah – Edom. (This is an abbreviation of Idumea.) They ask about their end and Isaiah says, ask the Lord again another time. In v13-17 Isaiah brings to us his burden for Arabia. He describes the diminishing of the nation within a year. In chapter 22 Isaiah outlines his burden for the valley of vision - The Persian invasion. Then he describes the godless joy of those besieged v1-3. Isaiah says don’t look at me weeping because this is a day of great trouble v4-5. Elam (The Persians) will invade the land with a massive army v6-11. They come to Jerusalem. They count the houses and do various military building projects to destroy the city. The Lord calls for a day of mourning v12 weeping, baldness and sackcloth. Yet the inhabitants feast and they say lets eat today because tomorrow we will die. The Lord called on them to fast but they feasted. In v15-25 Isaiah brings a message to Israel. He foretells their captivity and says that their leader will wear the kings robes. The key of David will be given to him. He will open so that none can shut and shut so that none can open. The Lord will secure him there immoveable. Chapter 23 is the burden of Tyre. The passage is divided into two describing the former and latter times, v1-14 is the former times. Tyre is going to face destruction on an immense scale. Tyre was going to become the profit of the nations. (Mart is the profit of commerce.) The ships of Tarshish (Spain) will be astounded at her destruction. Then Isaiah foretells of a time when for 70 years Tyre will be laid waste. The whole time of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. Then the Lord will bring destruction on the city for her spiritual adulteries with the nations.

AM Oct 4th 2 Thess 1

October 4^th 2 Thessalonians 1 A. Prologue Greetings Paul Silvanus Timothy

1: Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2: Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

B. Persecution We know your suffering

3: We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; 4: So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: 5: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: 6: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7: And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10: When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 11: Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s second letter to the church at Thessalonica is written with Silas and Timothy as co-workers, exactly the same as the first letter. Paul says we are bound to give thanks to God for you because your faith is growing so much and the love you have to each other is overflowing. We are so proud of you because of your faithfulness and patience in persecutions and troubles. These sufferings are a proof of your godliness and God will bring those who persecute you into judgment. Paul says that one day Gods mighty angels will come from heaven to bring the judgment of God on those who do not know God and who refuse to respond to the Gospel. They will face the eternal punishment of everlasting destruction in which those who refuse Christ will be banished from his presence and from the outward display of his almighty power when Christ comes to his kingdom. At that time Christ will be glorified with his saints and he will be admired but all those who believe in Christ in the world. Paul says, and so we pray always for you that God will count you worthy of his calling to glory and that you will delight to do the good will of God – works of faith in the almighty power of God. And that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you might be glorified in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus.

PM Oct 3rd Isa 19

October 3^rd

Isaiah, 19

1: The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. 2: And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3: And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. 4: And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. 5: And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. 6: And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither. 7: The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more. 8: The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. 9: Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded. 10: And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish. 11: Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellers of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? 12: Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt. 13: The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. 14: The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. 15: Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do. 16: In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it. 17: And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it. 18: In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction. 19: In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. 20: And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. 21: And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. 22: And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. 23: In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. 24: In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: 25: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Isaiah, 20

1: In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it; 2: At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3: And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia; 4: So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5: And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory. 6: And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?

Chapters 19 & 20 are the burden of Isaiah for Egypt. From v1-4 Isaiah outlines the destruction of Egypt at the hands of the Assyrians. The passage says that it is the LORD who rides on a swift cloud. What we are seeing here is the LORD who uses a nation in the north to humble a nation in the south. Egypt will be terrified and they will fight against each other. All of the religion of Egypt will be destroyed including its occult basis. V5-10 tells us that the Assyrians will rule them in cruelty and even the geography will be changed by the Lord. The paper, fishing and textile industries will cease. From v11-19 Isaiah talks of the Lord of Hosts who is the cause. The irrigation systems will cease. All the wisdom of Egypt will come to nothing. There will be an economic collapse. They will be terrified of Judah. In that day five cites will speak Hebrew in Egypt and they will be allied to Israel. There will be an altar to the LORD in the land of Egypt and a pillar on its border to the LORD. (Is this referring to the Pillars on the Gulf of Aqabar?) The pillar will be a sign and a witness to the LORD. They will cry to the LORD because of the Assyrian oppression and the LORD will hear them and he will send them a Saviour – a great one who will save them. The Egyptians will be converted to the LORD. They will know the Lord and will offer sacrifice to the Lord. they will enter into covenant with the Lord and be faithful to it. The LORD will smite Egypt and heal them. The highway will be opened from Egypt to Assyria. Israel, Egypt and Assyria will be at peace. The Lord will bless Egypt calling them his people. Assyria will be called the work of his hands and Israel will be the inheritance of the Lord. In Isaiah chapter 20 the prophet continues his prophesy. The Lord told Isaiah to do a very remarkable thing. He told him that in the year that Tartan came to Asdod Isaiah was to put off his sackcloth and shoes and walk naked and bear foot. This was a sign to Egypt and Ethiopia, because the king of Assyria will lead away the Egyptians prisoners, old and young naked and barefoot. Ethiopia will not help them. And even the distant lands will not help them in that day.

AM Oct 3rd 1 Thess 5

October 3^rd 1 Thessalonians 5 E. The Christians Deliverance The Day of the Lord

1: But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2: For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3: For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4: But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5: Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6: Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7: For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8: But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9: For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10: Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11: Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

F. Epilogue Final words & personal messages

12: And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13: And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. 14: Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15: See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 16: Rejoice evermore. 17: Pray without ceasing. 18: In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19: Quench not the Spirit. 20: Despise not prophesyings. 21: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22: Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24: Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 25: Brethren, pray for us. 26: Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. 27: I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. 28: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Chapter 4 has given us very important truth regarding the coming of Christ for his church. But there are some who object to this truth saying that the return of Christ is only one event at the end of the world. Chapter 5 shows how this cannot be true. In 1Cor 15 Paul describes the same event which is often called the Rapture, he says in verse 51, ‘Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed’. Here Paul explains that the coming of the Lord for the Church – the Rapture was ‘a mystery’. It was something which God knew but was hidden in God until the time when he revealed it to Paul. This was something that was unknown in scripture and in the Christian world until God revealed it to Paul and until Paul wrote about it to the Thessalonians. Some might say. But we have always known that Christ was coming back. Yes that’s true but we didn’t know that, before Christ came back to the earth for Israel, he would come back to the atmosphere for the church. So in contrast to ‘the mystery’ that he describes in chapter 4 in chapter 5, Paul says, but concerning the times and seasons brother you don’t need me to tell you about it because you have always known completely about the coming of Christ - called ‘The day of the Lord.’ The ‘times and seasons’ is used in scripture to describe the periods of time in the history of the world in which God is dealing with Israel. One of those periods is called ‘The times of the gentiles’. It is the time when Gentiles rule the world which was revealed to Daniel. So Paul says you know everything about the times and seasons and they knew that the day of the Lord will come secretly like a thief who comes when men are asleep. The day of the Lord is the appearing of Christ in judgment at the end of the Tribulation - spoken of by Christ in Matt 24 & 25. When men are half asleep thinking everything is ok then sudden destruction will come on them like the sudden birth pains of a pregnancy. None will escape this judgment. But says Paul, you are not going to see the darkness of the Tribulation. You are children of the light and children of the day not of the darkness and the night. So don’t fall spiritually asleep as other do but be awake and sensible. Put on the armour of God, because God has not ordained us for the time of wrath (The Tribulation) but to be saved from it, by our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ died for us so that whether we live or die we will one day live together in Him in heaven. So comfort each other and build each other up in the faith. Have respect to those who work hard in ministry among you and who watch over you in the Lord and who correct you when you stray. Have great respect for them and love them because of their work. And let peace reign among you. But l encourage you says Paul to warn those who are out of line, comfort those who are faint hearted, sustain the weak and be longsuffering to all men. Do not pay back evil for evil to anyone, but do good to all men. Rejoice in the Lord continually. Pray all the time. And in everything give thanks to God because this is Gods will for you. Do not look down on prophecy. (This was a spiritual gift still in operation until the competition of scripture which has now been superseded by preaching the word of God) Paul says, test everything and hold on to what you discover to be good. Abstain from every appearance of evil. And in doing this you will know the peace of God transforming you in holiness and l pray that your whole spirit, soul and body will be preserved blameless until Christ comes again. Christ is faithful he will do it. Lastly, says Paul, pray for us. And so Paul brings his first recorded letter to an end.

PM Oct 2nd Isa 16

October 2^nd

Isaiah, 16

1: Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2: For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. 3: Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. 4: Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5: And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. 6: We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. 7: Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. 8: For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea. 9: Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. 10: And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. 11: Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-haresh. 12: And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail. 13: This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time. 14: But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

Isaiah, 17

1: The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. 2: The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 3: The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts. 4: And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. 5: And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim. 6: Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel. 7: At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 8: And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. 9: In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation. 10: Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: 11: In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. 12: Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 13: The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. 14: And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Isaiah, 18

1: Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: 2: That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! 3: All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. 4: For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. 5: For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. 6: They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. 7: In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.

In Isaiah 16, 17 and 18 the prophet speaks about his burden for Moab, Damascus and Ethiopia respectively. From 15v1 – 16v14 He has outlined his message to Moab. In v1 Moab is told to send the token lamb to Judah as a tribute of recognition of Judah’s dominance. v2-6 is an invitation to Moab to humble themselves before the God of Judah and to show kindness to Israel in their midst. The throne will be established in judgment and righteousness in the tent of David. The nation of Moab is full of pride and therefore the LORD will humble them causing them to howl in distress. The LORD will destroy their harvest giving them sorrow and the wine press will be dry. The Lord will crush their religion. The Lord will in three years reduce the nation to just a few and weak men. In ch 17 Isaiah brings his prophecy regarding Damascus the crown of the Syria nation. First he says it will be reduced to a city of ruins v1. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and only shepherds will live there. The castle at Ephraim will cease and Damascus and Syria will be destroyed as Israel was destroyed v2-3. There will be a general famine v4-5. The will be left just a few berries far out of reach v6. The Lord God of Israel will be respected but their own gods will be forsaken v7-8. Even the strong cites will be abandoned v9. This will be because they have forsaken the Lord v10. The harvest will be uncollected because of great grief on the people v11. There will be a commotion in the nations to collect the harvest but the Lord will rebuke them and chase them away. The Lord will destroy then in the night. Isaiah ch 18 is The burden regarding Ethiopia or rather the land beyond Ethiopia – Abyssinia. This will be the judgment of God on Ethiopia. The whole earth is told to pay attention v3. The Lord will withdraw his rain at the time of spring v4-6. All the animals and birds will eat the harvest. When the time comes to bring a gift to the Lord they will bring of their poverty to Zion. All these events seem to be during the beginning of the Millennial kingdom – The Day of the LORD.

AM Oct 2nd 1 Thess 4

October 2^nd 1 Thessalonians 4 Be Holy

1: Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2: For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3: For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5: Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7: For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8: He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 9: But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 10: And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; 11: And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12: That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

D. The Christians Rapture Be Ready to meet Christ

13: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15: For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18: Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Paul reminds the believers that as they know how to live so they should increase in godly living pleasing God. Then Paul reminds them of the commandments that they brought to them from the Lord Jesus Christ. The will of God for them he says is to become increasingly separated unto the Lord, which means that they must abstain from all sexual immorality, that every believer should know how to use their own body in holiness and honour for God. Not overcome by lust in sinfulness like the Gentiles do who do not know God. And that no believer should take anything by deception from his brother, because the Lord is the avenger of all such sin. Paul says we warned you about these things. God has not called us to live unclean lives but to be dedicated unto the Lord. The man who despises this teaching despises the Lord who has given to us the Spirit - who is holy. I don’t need to remind you about brotherly love because you are all taught of God to love one another. And we know that you do love all the brethren that are in Macedonia but we would encourage you to express your love more and more. And says Paul we would encourage you concentrate on quite christian living and that you pay attention to your own business – working with your own hands to support yourselves. So that you are living honestly toward those who are outside the church and that you have no financial needs. Lastly Paul comes to the question they had raised regarding those of their company who had died. He says l do not want you to be lacking in knowledge regarding those who have died as believers, because l do not want you to have total despair like those who have no hope of resurrection to eternal life. (Their physical death is just like a temporary sleep.) If we believe that Jesus died and rose again then those of your company who have died God will bring them with him when Christ returns. What l am saying is a revelation from the Lord - we who are alive when Christ comes will not prevent believers who have died from rising again. Because the Lord Jesus will come down from heaven accompanied by a shout and with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God and the bodies of those christians who have died will rise first and after that those christians who are alive will be snatched up as a whole company - with those who are resurrected to meet the Lord Jesus in the atmosphere. And after that we will be forever with the Lord. I want you to comfort one another with this truth.

PM Oct 1st Isa 14

October 1^st

Isaiah, 14

1: For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 2: And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 3: And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4: That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5: The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6: He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. 7: The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 8: Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. 9: Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10: All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11: Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 12: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13: For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15: Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16: They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17: That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 18: All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19: But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20: Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. 21: Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. 22: For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD. 23: I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. 24: The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: 25: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. 26: This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. 27: For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? 28: In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. 29: Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. 30: And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. 31: Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times. 32: What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

Isaiah, 15

1: The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; 2: He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off. 3: In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly. 4: And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him. 5: My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction. 6: For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing. 7: Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows. 8: For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim. 9: For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

Today we are reading Isaiah chapters 14 & 15. Chapter 14 continues the section begun in Ch 13v1 – 27v13 in which Isaiah brings to us a series of burdens. In ch 13 he has brought the burden of the Lord regarding Babylon but now in ch 14 he speaks first of the mercy of the LORD toward Israel, v1-3 and then he will continue with the burden of Babylon but this time its about the king of Babylon rather than the people v4-23. In v24-32 he will describe the LORD’s deliverance of Israel. Then from ch 15v1 – 16v14 he will outline his burden for Moab. All of these burdens relate to the Day of the LORD. In the last Isaiah had foretold the destruction of Babylon but not in total contrast he foretells the deliverance of Israel v1-3. In the Day of the LORD the Lord himself will have mercy on Jacob and will choose them and set them in their own land. Gentiles will become attached to Israel. They will dominate those that previously oppressed them. Then Isaiah describes the relief of the oppressor v4-8. The Lord will break the power of the wicked and the rulers. He brings rest to the whole earth even the cedars of Lebanon will rejoice. Even the dead will be moved at the coming of Christ v9-11. Then from v12-15 The Lord describes the fall of Lucifer from heaven to earth. This is not history but prophecy. This will occur in the Day of the LORD, in the day of Israel’s restoration. He is cut down because he wished to lift himself up to the heaven and to exalt himself above the stars of God (The angels) He also desires to sit on the mount Zion in the sides of the north. And he says that he wishes to be like The Most High – Christ. This Lucifer – the morning star was worshipped by the Assyrians as male at sun rise and as female at sunset. Yet he will be brought down to the abyss. From v16-20 Isaiah describes Lucifer as a man, or rather as a male. They will say of him – Is this the man (or the Male) that made the earth to tremble and shock kingdoms. Who made the world a wilderness and destroyed cities. The Kings of the earth are laid in graves yet this one is vomited out of the grave. He will never be joined to the mortal dead. Then Isaiah describes the depopulation of Babylon from the earth, v21-22. The city will be a desolated place inhabited only by fowls. The rest of the chapter is about the total devastation the Babylon will suffer. The LORD’s will be carried out against Babylon. The Assyrian (another name for the Antichrist) will be broken for ever on the mountains of Israel. Israel will be set free from his dominion forever. The Lord will do this and none will ever prevent it. This prophecy came to Isaiah in the year that Ahaz died. Assyria, Palestina will suffer under the hand of the Lord. In Isaiah chapter 15 he begins a new section which is the burden for Moab, it continues to 16v14. Isaiah describes in v1 the total devastation of Moab. The whole area will be laid waste. The people will repent deeply and humble themselves cutting off their hair and beards and sitting in sackcloth and in weeping. Moab will howl to the Lord.